MANILA, Philippines (5th UPDATE) – President Benigno Aquino on Thursday declared Friday, July 13, 2012 as National Day of Remembrance for the late king of Philippine comedy Dolphy.

Aquino issued the declaration in Proclamation 433.

“The President issued the proclamation in recognition of how the nation deeply feels the passing of Dolphy. In the proclamation, the President cited Dolphy as a man who will live on in Philippine cultural history—and in the hearts of many of his countrymen,” deputy Presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said in a press statement.

“President Aquino in his proclamation said that every milestone that Dolphy marked in a career that spanned decades, raised the standards of the entertainment industry, and strengthened our cultural identity, giving innumerable aspirants an example to look up to,” she said.

Valte said Aquino also cited Dolphy’s philanthrophy and generosity towards other people.

“In citing Dolphy’s life and career, the President in his proclamation said it is appropriate to mark the memory of Mr. Quizon’s contributions to Philippine culture, arts, and entertainment,” she said.

Valte said it is not a non-working holiday.

She added that the proclamation does not require flags to be flown at half staff and no moment of silence will be held Friday.

Valte said the emphasis is on celebrating Dolphy’s life and not his passing.

“The President’s proclamation is in keeping with the wishes expressed by the late Dolphy himself, and his family, that he be remembered not with sadness, but with the same warmth and joy he brought to the lives of millions throughout his career,” Valte said in her statement.

‘Dolphy’s greatest gift’

“Even as we grieve the loss of a cultural icon and a master of his field, we should never forget that Dolphy made generations of Filipinos laugh; he was unparalleled in tapping into our inherently jovial spirit—that both challenges and triumphs could be met with optimism and cheer; and that therefore, this was the greatest gift he gave the Filipino people, and this is the kindness that he will always be remembered for,” she added.

The Day of National Remembrance for Dolphy will allow Filipinos to reflect on the late comedian’s art and artistry, his kindness and generosity, and deep patriotism, Valte said.

“The President asks all our countrymen to make this Day of Remembrance a celebration of the full life that Dolphy, with utmost generosity, shared with the country,” she added.

Valte earlier told radio dzMM that the Palace received several proposals to declare a national day of mourning for Dolphy.

She said the President has the discretion to make such a declaration “if there is something that happens that has a significance on the country.”

The Day of Remembrance for the late comedian is neither a regular nor a special holiday. Work and classes in government offices and public schools will not be suspended.

Aquino visits wake

President Aquino also visited Dolphy’s wake at the Heritage Park in Taguig City on Thursday to pay his last respects to the Philippines’ king of comedy.

The President arrived with Transportation and Communications Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II to pay respects to the late veteran actor.

On a congressman’s proposal to declare June 10 every year as “Dolphy Day,” Valte said, “We will leave it first to the legislature on how to deal with that particular bill and we’ll study it when it reaches the Executive.”

In 2009, then-President Gloria Arroyo declared 10 days of national mourning following the death of former President Corazon Aquino on August 1, 2009.

All flags in government buildings were flown at half-staff from August 1 to August 10, 2009.

Meantime, friends, fans and colleagues of Dolphy continue to flock to the Heritage Park in Taguig City.

Among those who visited today were Senator Lito Lapid, who co-starred with Dolphy in a number of movies, and former First Lady Imelda Marcos.

Fans also brought memorabilia of the Comedy King which they offered to the family.

The wake was open to the public until 3 p.m. Thursday.

It will be open to the public again on Friday and Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Dolphy died Tuesday after a long bout with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. — with reports from Willard Cheng and Ryan Chua, ABS-CBN News; ANC; dzMM

Every year, thousands of women are promised a dance career in Western Europe.

Sadly, they end up here.

This is also happening in the Philippines. Girls from provinces looking for decent jobs to save their family from poverty often offered jobs in the City like Manila or abroad and end up as prostitutes. Someone said a Filipinacommitted suicide (found dead inside the closet) after being forced to work as a prostitute at Kish Island. The story was her passport got expired while working there (Middle East) then someone offered help and brought her to Kish Island not knowing what awaits her. The one who shared her story says she can’t handle the shame of what had happened to her thinking about his love ones most specially her beloved boyfriend. I dunno if her body was brought back to the Philippines. Sadly her family & boyfriend never knew what really happened to her. This story was told 5 years ago by folks from the Middle East using a yahoo group account. Where’s the so called OFW FUND now which has a total of P13 billion that OWWA accumulated (P100 million every year) that will be used to assist our fellow OFW? N O N E

May her soul rest in peace….

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Want Same Story about Human Tracfficking in the Philippines? You can visit this site also :

Sorry Guys but you can’t see any pictures of Jana here. I too have a huge crush on her. For me very pretty, maputi, makinis and gifted (you know what I mean… No offense). Yun nga lang parang iba ang nangyri sa show. Tinanong ang Size…. Sumagot naman… “D” at pumayag na magpakarga. Is it “RIGHT” is it “WRONG”?

(Hope she’s still connected with her company though after 7 months of working there. In our company you will be suspended or worse will be forced to resign if you use the Company logo or name in vain. I crush you Pretty Jana…. less than 3! ❤ XOX lol)

Sorry about that. Of all the EPALs in the Philippine Country, as I look at it, Atty. Trishia Bonoan-David, Most Outstanding Congressman Awardee, Best Public Servant Awardee, (we should not forget the “Most Outstanding Congressman Awardee. Best Public Servant Awardee”) has the most EPAL Tarpaulin post in Manila and Online.

In this case I would like to give her an Award which is the “MOST EPAL ATTY. CONGRESSWOMAN AND PUBLIC SERVANT AWARDEE” . I repeat, this is based upon the post on Manila and on the internet.

Do you know why the Tarp has her picture? DUH! Come to think of it! An attorney, Most Outstanding Congress Woman and Best Public Servant holding your _____ and doing the “TULE” (circumcision) along side with GMA and Mayor Alfredo Lim. How GREAT could it be? City of Manila is really very LUCKY! (too bad there’s no second time around. lol).

Oh man! Can you imagine that! Atty. Trisha Bonoan-David, Congresswoman. Most Outstanding Congressman Awardee. Best Public Servant Awardee on the Fire Brigade Operation?!

Another lawmaker has thought of a brilliant way to make money out of our hardworking and mostly cash-strapped Filipino overseas foreign workers (OFWs). Congresswoman Ma. Theresa Bonoan-David authored a bill that would increase the contribution of every departing OFW to the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) from $25.00 to $50.00 (Php2,400).

Unsurprisingly, her bill is being strongly-opposed by the OFWs themselves. According to them, OWWA Resolution No. 038 in 2003 that obligates OFWs to pay $25 per contract for the Emergency Repatriation Fund (ERF) is already enough. However, Bonoan-David wants to amend Republic Act 8042 or the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995 primarily to increase the fee.

The reason Bonoan-David gave for her proposed increase in the fee is that it will boost the Philippine government’s efforts to help distressed OFWs in strife-torn countries. It sounds good on paper but it’s really not. When Filipino politicians are involved, funds tend to get mismanaged. And why the heck do OFWs need to pay to be able to work abroad? It’s not like the government helped them find a job in the first place. The government is not even capable of providing jobs for them at home, which is the number one reason why Filipinos are forced to go seek employment overseas. It seems the Philippine government is getting more brazen in its continued violation of the OFWs’ right to travel.

Even some recruitment agents are not happy with the bill. Recruitment consultant Emmanuel Geslani stressed that the congresswoman might be breaking another law in seeking to amend Republic Act 8042. He said, “under Republic Act 10022, no additional fees may be imposed on top of the current fees stated in the law.” Furthermore, the OWWA already “accumulates P100 million every year for a total of P13 billion.” The consultant is also worried that the bill could turn off potential foreign employers who shoulder the OWWA contribution and could “cause the reduction of foreign companies who hire OFWs.”

The congresswoman has definitely caused uproar among OFWs with her proposal and I can understand why. Her reason is very lame and out of touch with reality. Some OFWs barely scrape enough cash to bring with them. I know of someone who was lucky to get a permit to work in Canada as a hairdresser but she didn’t have enough pocket money to bring with her so she had to ask for donations from family and friends to sustain her stay until she gets her first paycheck. She probably managed to collect less than $500.00 from everyone who could give. The thought that the government has to grab $50.00 dollars from people like her if ever the bill is passed is not just crazy, it’s also stupid considering the millions generated from the $25.00 from every departing OFW is said to be not even accounted for while some still languish in foreign lands unassisted by the Philippine government.

It’s bad enough that OFWs have to go through an eye-of-the-needle-like procedure at the airport due to the mandatory paperwork they have to show before they can be allowed to board the plane. All that is made even worse now that the fees they may have to pay would leave a big hole in their pockets. The required fee doesn’t stop with the OWWA contribution. They also have to pay the POEA processing fee of PhP100.00; Philhealth contribution of PhP900.00; Pag-Ibig membership of PhP100.00, not to mention the ever-increasing airport tax! All this financial strain just adds to the physical and emotional strain every OFW has to go through every time they leave the country.

OFW group Migrante-Middle East (M-ME) is making a lot of noise and is seeking a dialogue with Congresswoman Bonoan-David. It would be interesting to see if the Congresswoman would even bother to listen to their grievances. Most lawmakers are good at ignoring the people they are supposed to be representing. John Leonard Monterona, M-ME regional coordinator labeled the proposal clearly anti-OFW.

Under former President Gloria Arroyo’s government, OFWs were hailed as a hero and were not required to go through a validation procedure at the airport anymore, giving them hassle-free departures. In contrast, President Noynoy Aquino (PNoy) seems silent on the matter, not even bothering to look into the woes of the OFWs.

It is disappointing that the current government is neglecting its Number One revenue earner. The OFW contribution in terms of remittances is said to have reached $1.7 billion for April alone.

To be honest, Congresswoman Bonoan-David’s proposal has laziness written all over it. Instead of a bill that could potentially milk more money out of the OFWs, she should come up with more legislation that contributes towards generating more jobs in the country so Filipinos would not have to go abroad. Lawmakers need to address the country’s dependence on remittances from overseas foreign workers (OFWs).

Like what I said in my previous article, the Philippine economy will collapse without the OFWs. The economic policy of exporting laborers as a response to our economic woes has to be addressed in the long-term. PNoy is probably thinking that he doesn’t have to work on the economy because he can rely on the remittances anyway, but as a country we cannot be too dependent on OFWs forever. In a study, Canadian professor Prod Laquian concluded that the export of workers has prevented the Philippines from advancing as a self-sustaining nation. He also likens the country to a man who “has become lazy because he receives remittances from a wife working as a domestic worker abroad.” Furthermore…

He noted that the Philippine government adopted the labor export program in 1974 as a stop-gap measure to ease unemployment and foreign exchange problems.

However, after 37 years, the Philippine economy has become heavily dependent on remittances, he said.

Almost ten million Filipinos are currently working overseas, mostly in North America, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Europe, he noted.

Laquian stated that the most serious negative effect of Philippine labor export policies “has been the neglect of domestic production and poor investments in infrastructure, agriculture, mining, export promotion, and social development because of the easy availability of funds from remittances.”

“The country may be likened to a man who has become lazy because he receives remittances from a wife working as a domestic worker abroad,” Laquian said.

“For the government, the easy money from foreign remittances is a major cause of its inability to pursue sound economic development programs,” he added

I am just glad that I am not an OFW. There is no way in hell I would be happy to give this government more money that they can’t even manage well, specially since PNoy is under pressure to show economic growth after a slump last year. He’s probably happy someone from under his government thought of an easy way to tax the slaves.

Rep. Trisha Bonoan-David withdraws HB 6195 (lol)

Solon drops measure after drawing flak from OFWs

Manila Rep. Trisha Bonoan-David (4th distrct) is now rescinding her initial sponsorship of House Bill 6195, which would have amended parts of the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Protection Act of 1995. Rep. Bonoan-David’s camp sent to The Filipino Scribe a copy of the lady solon’s official announcement Friday afternoon.

Dated June 18 and addressed to House Majority Leader (and chair of the Committee on Rules) Neptali Gonzales, Jr., Bonoan-David said she is withdrawing sponsorship as principal author of HB 6195 “after some careful consideration on (its) provisions.” Curiously, a copy of the said bill is not uploaded in Bonoan-David’s page in the House of Representatives website.

Filed last May 17, HB 6195 will require departing overseas Filipino workers to pay US$50 as contribution to the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration emergency repatriation fund. The Manila solon said her bill “intends to provide the necessary measures for the government to carry out its responsibility to assist distressed OFWs in cases of war, epidemic, disaster or calamities, natural or man-made, and other similar events, and promote their general welfare.”

The bill has received a firestorm of criticism in the social media, led by migrant workers’ rights advocate Susan Ople and other organization of overseas Filipino workers. In her blog, Ople described HB 6195 “bereft of logic” and “inimical to the welfare and rights of our OFWs.” The 2010 senatorial candidate added: “(The bill) touches a sensitive nerve because of its gross insensitivity to the heavily burdened life of an OFW.

Uhuh uhuh This man here was the one who said “I thought Bradley gave Pacquiao a boxing lesson,”. “I thought a lot of the rounds were close.” “Pacquiao missed a lot of punches and I thought he was throwing wildly.”

YOU SHOULD WATCH CAREFULLY! IF YOUR EYES ARE TOO WEAK DON’T JUDGE! and another thing… WHAT!? YOU THOUGHT!?DON’T GUESS!

One of the two veteran judges at the centre of the controversy – Ford – broke his silence on Monday to defend himself. He told the Las Vegas Review Journal that he stands by his decision.

“I thought Bradley gave Pacquiao a boxing lesson,” he said. “I thought a lot of the rounds were close. Pacquiao missed a lot of punches and I thought he was throwing wildly.”

Kizer added: “Every fighter who loses a close fight like that wants to look at the judges.”

Skip Avansino, the NSAC commission chairman, who had been ringside, told American media sources last night that he was not concerned by the scoring.

“We had three seasoned professionals working and I don’t question their determinations,” Avansino said. “Unless something is brought to our attention that there was improper behaviour, we’re not going to take any action. I’m not going to second-guess our judges.”

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And hey I’m no Pacqiao Fan.

To robertfs who commented this:

boxing american mafia rules! ok?NO!

(no surprise then)

Kudos! ^^,

Bob Arum

Bob Arum has called for an investigation into the results of the Pacquiao-Bradley fight.

This is the day that I was expecting for Pacqiao to loose! Yup! But not in this kind of way.

I wanted Pacqiao to loose the fight in order for me to see how the Prestigious Philippine Government welcome a fallen fighter. Does it come with flashy bands? Or a group of Politicians flocking the International Airport? Will I see the famous Mascot of Pacqiao Lito Atienza? (Pacqiao is not from Manila but this former Mayor spends a lot just for Pacqiao. Hope he gives the same treatment on other out-sider and Athletes.. I don’t see him recently) … Don’t worry fellas the other Mascot is always on Pacqiao’s side… Will they still award him even though he lost the fight?

I’m not a fan of Pacqiao and also Bradley. I admire how Bradley handled the interview after the fight. What a good guy he is. As for Pacqiao…. its true what Pacqiao said.. ..”He is running and running… moving and moving!” ^^,

I’ve been observing our government on how they treat our fellow athletes. Win or loose they should give every Filipino Athletes Honor and Respect for they fought not only for themselves but for the honor of our country.